Special services and hotel facilities

Nowadays large, modern hotels contain not only guest rooms, but many other facilities as well. They usually contain restaurants and cocktail lounges, shops and recreational facilities for social functions, conventions and conferences — ballrooms, auditoriums, meeting rooms of different sizes, exhibit areas and so forth.

Another trend in the hotel industry is the construction of the self-contained resort complex. Recreational facilities are another feature of many hotels and motels. A swimming pool is the most common of these, particularly in warmer climates and in resort areas. Many resorts are designed for winter sports such as skiing and ice skating; others provide horseback riding and other outdoor activities. Casinos, wherever they are legal, are another feature of some hotels.

A few hotels, most of them in resort areas or large cities, include nightclubs as a part of their operation. A nightclub offers entertainment, such as dancing, a singer, a band, or a floor show, in addition to food and drink.

All of the recreational facilities require the employment of additional personnel. Golf courses must be carefully tended by a special staff of groundskeepers. Horses require stables and grooming. Many resort hotels hire professional athletes to give lessons to the guests in tennis, golf and skiing. Other employees include riding instructors and guides for hikers and campers. Lifeguards are often necessary at swimming pools and beaches.

Catering, providing food and drink for transients, has always gone together with accommodations. Food services are a feature of hotels.

Large urban hotels also provide special services for businessmen. A commercial hotel, for example, can provide a stenographer to take dictation and do typing for the travelling businessman. Some luxury hotels also give the guests access to copying, internet, modem points, facsimile machines, computers with printer, scanner, word processor and other machines. Many large hotels also have a notary public on the staff to verify the signatures on documents.

The list of special services offered by hotels is long. These services differ according to the location and the clientele of the hotel; luxury hotels offer the greatest range of services.

1. What do hotel provide guests with?
2. What recreational facilities do hotels offer?
3. Why do hotels need additional personnel?
4. What services do large urban hotels provide?
5. What do you think about the role of hotels?

Вариант 9

Tourism

The costs of international travel are decreasing and tourism is growing. What are the advantages and disadvantages of increasing tourism activity in different countries?
It is believed that tourism is playing an important part in the economy of different countries and it also helps to open the minds of both visitors as well as domestic people. Firstly, a host country will receive a huge amount of foreign currency in form of the money visitors bring to this country. Actually, many of today societies, especially those of developing countries, have to depend on tourism to develop. Secondly, international travelling is a way to exchange cultures between different countries and bring news to many places. Locals started making souvenirs and sell them to visitors and have money to buy food and other necessary stuff that they can not produce. Also, from the activity the local people do in their everyday life, tourists can learn a lot about their culture which is the greatest benefit from tourism.

However, many people often criticize tourism for its negative impacts on the environment and on the nature of the places. Take my hometown for instance, it used to be well-known for its beautiful and extensive beaches and people like to go swimming in the sea and enjoy seafood at some restaurants near the beaches. However, because many tourists carelessly throw rubbishes like plastic bags into the sea, many jellyfishes and other marine creatures have died and the place is not as clean as it used to be. We have lost our beautiful coastlines and also have less amount of tourists each year. This clearly shows that tourism can cause many bad effects on the environment

and on the value of the places.

In conclusion, tourism could be very important for the development of many countries, however, the increasing tourism activities could damage the environment and cause the value or the nature of different places to be vanished.

1. Why does tourism play an important role?
2. What can tourists learn from the local people about?
3. Why do many people often criticize tourism?

4. Why have we less amount of tourists each year?

1. What do you think about the behaviour if tourists?

Вариант 10

The “Golden Ring” Hotel

Moscow is the capital of Russia and the largest city in our country. A visit to Moscow always makes unforgettable impression on the people who come there for the first time. It will become more remarkable if you choose to stay at the “Golden Ring” hotel.

The “Golden Ring” hotel is located in the very heart of the city. The hotel has a modern building downtown. Moscow in the historical center only minutes away from the Red Square and Kremlin museums. It is not far from foreign embassies and foreign companies’ offices, from the Exhibitions Center and just across the road from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Friendly staff, high international standards of service and unique interior design will make your stay in the “Golden Ring” hotel pleasant and enjoyable.

The hotel has 247 spacious comfortably furnished apartments including double and single rooms, 80 Suites and 2 luxurious Presidential Suites. You will feel at home while staying in the “Golden Ring” hotel.

The hotel offers 24-hour service and the most sophisticated security system. The quests are provided with in-room safety – deposit boxes, satellite TV and telephone lines, air conditioners. Comfortable furniture and unique design of the suites give you the atmosphere of luxury, comfort and style.

The “Golden Ring” hotel offers the best views of Moscow. The hotel restaurant located on the 23^rd floor offers exquisite Mediterranean cuisine and luxurious atmosphere for its quests. You can spend a pleasant evening and see Moscow from the height while enjoying the culinary art of the restaurant Chef.

The Health Club and saunas are the best way to relax. There the quests can have a relaxing massage. They can use dry saunas and gym.

Welcome to the “Golden Ring” hotel!

1. Why is the “Golden Ring” hotel the most suitable for quests?
2. What rooms are there in the hotel?
3. What services are there in the room?
4. Why can you spend a pleasant evening in the restaurant?
5. What do you think about the “Golden Ring” hotel?

Вариант 11

Hotel services

Large hotels usually offer their quests different kinds of services. At the laundry they can have their things washed and pressed. At the dry cleaner’s they can clean their clothes. At the shoes repair shop they can have their shoes mended and polished.

Hotel restaurants have a Room Service department for the guests. Room service is the service of food or beverages in quests’ rooms. The Room Service department works together with the kitchen of the restaurant. Hotels are often judged by the standard of the room service they provide. Five – star hotels provide room service for at least 18 hours of the day, but more often they provide 24 – hour service, and that service must at all times be friendly, quick and efficient.

The dishes available for service in rooms are listed on a special room service menu.

The guests can order:

Breakfast from 6 am to 11 am

All day dining from 11 am to 11 pm

A la carte dishes from 7 pm to 10 pm

Night owl menu from 11 pm to 6 am

Most orders to Room Service are given by telephone. The waiters from the Room Service bring the dishes that were ordered by the guests on trays and trolleys. They usually knock on the door three times and say loudly, “Room Service”. When the door is opened the waiter enters the room and greets the guest. The guest tells where to place the tray or trolley with dishes. The waiters usually explain what they have brought, ask to sign the bill, and tell the guest to put trays or trolleys outside their room in the passage after they have finished their meals.

1. What services do large hotels offer?
2. How do you understand the word combinations ‘room service’?
3. Why is the “Room Service” more comfortable in five – star hotels?
4. Why is it convenient to order meals by telephone?
5. What do you think about Room Service?

Критерии оценки чтения и перевода текста:

Оценка «отлично» - текст прочитан в быстром темпе, при чтении не сделаны фонетические ошибки, переведен весь текст, факты и сюжеты не искажены, передана вся информация, в переводе отражены все существенные детали.

Оценка «хорошо» - текст прочитан в быстром темпе, при чтении допущены незначительные фонетические ошибки, не мешающие понять значение слова, переведен весь текст, допущено только три ошибки во временных формах, текст адекватен оригиналу.

Оценка «удовлетворительно» - темп чтения замедленный, допущены незначительные фонетические ошибки, переведено только 60% текста, не совсем точно понято содержание прочитанного, в тексте выделено только небольшое количество фактов, не развита языковая догадка.

Оценка «неудовлетворительно» - темп чтения медленный, допущены значительные фонетические ошибки, мешающие понять значение слов, текст непонят или понят неправильно, студент не ориентируется при поиске определенных фактов, или переведено менее 60% текста.

Критерии оценки ответов на вопросы:

Оценка «отлично» - студент продемонстрировал знания лексических единиц и грамматических правил; не допустил ошибок при составлении ответов на вопросы.

Оценка «хорошо» - студент дает грамотные ответы, по существу, однако допускает несущественные ошибки в ответе. Студент правильно применяет теоретические знания при выполнении практических заданий.

Оценка «удовлетворительно» - студент дает ответы по существу, демонстрирует знание текста, но в ответе допускаются 2 грамматические ошибки.

Оценка «неудовлетворительно» - студент допускает принципиальные ошибки в ответах на вопросы, не умеет показать сущность вопроса; наличие грубых ошибок при ответе; или дает ответы менее, чем на 3 вопроса.